Machine for continuous reproduction of phonographic compositions.



C- S- ANDRES & W. T. JONES.

MACHINE FOII CONTINUOUS REPRODUCTION OF PHONOGIIAPHIC COMPOSITIONS.

APPLICATION FILED IUIIY ZII. IBIS- Patented May 7,1918. 7 3 SHEETS-SHEET I III mwm b c N \N ON C. S. ANDRES & W. T. JONES. Y MACHIN FOR CONTINUOUS REPRODUCTION 0f PHONOGRAPNIC COMPOSITIONS.

APPLICATION HLEO IUL Y 28.1515. 1,265,286. Patented May 7,1918. a

I 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LU III 0 I h E E 33 O 39 i i 27 5 I MA album C. S. ANDRES & W. 'T. JONES.

MACHINE F08 CONTINUOUS REPRODUCTION OF PHONOGRAPHIC COMPOSITIONS. APPLICATION mso mu! 28. ms.

1,265,286. ram m lg- 1 91s. }llllll:

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- CHARLES S. ANDRES AND WILLIAM T. JONES, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOBS TO SOUND-O-IHOTOPLAY:-CO., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA,

A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MACHINE FOR CONTINUOUS REPRODUCTION OF PHONOGBAPHIC' COMPOSITIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 7, 1918.

Application filed Iuly 28, 1915. Serial No. 42,299.

T '0 all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES S. ANDRES and WILLIAM T. JONES, citizens of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania,-have invented new and useful Improvements in Machines for Continuous Reproduction of Phonographic Compositions, of which the following is a specificat1on.

This invention relates to a machinein which means are provided whereby the continuous reproduction of speech or music recorded on phonographic disksmaybe obtained.

The object of this invention is to provide means whereby a number of phonographic disks may be played or operated one after the other without stopping the machine to change the disks, and to provide controlling means wherebya second disk is brought into operation successively with a former disk when the latter has reached'the end of the subject matter recorded thereon, thereby causing a continuity of the sound or speech. In the accompanying drawings, similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

' Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a machine embodying this invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the mechanism employed to operate theturn-tahles and the,

mechanism connected-with the reproducer. Fig. 3 is an elevation, partly in section, of a fastening-nut to center the disk .onthe falseturntable,.and spindle for the latter. Fig. 4

is a vertical sectional view of a hollow shaft,

turn-table and attaching means for the latter. Fig. 5 is a detail showing the mechanism for operating the bell-crank lever. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the means for connecting the bell-crank and the lever for opcrating the same. Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a motor operating circuit, shown in full lines, and a test-lamp circuit, the latter being shown in dotted lines, as contemplated in this invention. In the drawings the numeral 1 designates a cabinet or box for the device and its framework and operating parts. The parts of the machine maybe classified into several sections according to the functions which each section 18 intended to produce in the device.

Thus one section is for operating the disks disk. elements consists of a suitable motor 2,

connected with a main shaft 3 by means of gearing 4, the shaft being journaled and held suitably in place and provided with. bevel gears 5 adjacent to its ends. The gears 5 engage with bevel gears 6 mounted on hollow shafts? which are held and journaled in place. The general construction of the hollow shafts is indicated in F ig. 4. They are arranged to hold and rotate with them main plates or turn-tables Soneach of which is secured felt covering 9. These main turntables arefirotatahle on friction reducing means 10 which may be of any approved form of construction in general use, and they are provided with conical borings to enable them to be placed on the conical heads 11 of the hollow shafts. Thus the turning of the motor 2 operates and rotates the turntables 8, the direction of turning being consistent with the gearing connection.

' Secured to a false turn-table 12, one of which is mounted over each tum-table 8. is a spindle shaft 13 which is normally disposed in the hollow shaft 7 and projects beyond the lower end of the same as is apparent in the drawings. This plate is connected to the spindle by a'suitable coupling means 14 and it is also covered with felt arranged .to take and friotionally hold a phohographi'c on the false-turntable. The lowering andcontacting of the false turn-table. with the felt covering 9 eervesto cause a frictional ing the contacting end of the said nut. This nut serves to'also hold the disk-15 in place engagement between the two, and if the latter with its turn-table 8, is rotating, it will cause the false turn-table 12 and disk 15 to rotate also. It will be noted that the spindle may be readily reciprocated up and down in the hollow shaft 7.

The spindles are raised by means of a bellcrank lever 16 which is pivoted at 17 to a support 18, the ends 19 being arranged to come under the hollow shafts and make con-' erated thereby. Thus one false turn-table is.

revolving while the other has stopped in alternate sequence.'

Suitable reproducing mechanism 20 is provided for each disk and is supported by an arm 21 which .is adjustably attached to a post 22 vertically supported in the frameworkby a T shaped support 22 and arranged for rotation as the functions of the reproducer require. These posts extend.

through the cabinet and are provided with electrical contact making means 23 which are adj'ustably secured thereon. The bell- .crank 16* is actuated by means of a lever 24 to which it is connected by means of a pin and slot arrangement 25 as shown in Fig. 6. This lever is pivoted at 26 and is operated through a connecting link 27, a crank 28, a shaft 29, a worm-gear 30, a. worm 31, shaft 32, gearing 33 and electric motor 34. The lever 24 is provided with an electrical con tact blade 35 which connects up a circuit (seel ig. 7) when it makes contact with the points or screws 36. These screws are on a separate holder 37 which is of T shape and has a quick oscillating action produced by means-of a spring 38. The making of the contact of the, blade 35 with either. screw 36, ando'ne of the contact devices or arms 23 withoneof the adjustab'lescrews 39 coma pletesa' motor circuit which operates the 'motor34 .and its connecting transmission partssoj that the motor will cause the crank 28 to pull the arm 27 and lever 241to aposition that Wlll reverse the connection made by the blade 35. This action will .open'the circuit and leave it open until the other contact arm 23 makes contact with its respective screw 39. This circuit may betraced vout in Fig. 7.

- Pilot lamps 40 and 41 are provided for i it the purpose of.testing out the contact positions of the arms 23 and are operated by a current supplied from battery cells as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. A relay magnet 42 is inserted in said lamp circuit to prevent the inrush of the higher current which operates the shifting motor from burning out the pilot lamps. Preparatory to the placin of the succeeding phonographic record while one is being played, the moment that the arm for the former record comes into contact with its contact screw the light for that particular record will glow when the push utton or switch in that circuit is operated. At the same time the magnet will be energized which will break for the time being the shift motor circuit. Upon release of the button or the removal of the arm from the contact screw the magnet will be released from operation and the shift motor circuit restored and will be ready for operation when the proper moment arrives.

The operation of the device is as follows: The motor 2 starts the turn-tables 8 rotating and one of the false turn-tables which is in contact with the former. The disk on the false turn-table is thereby rotated and the reproducer with itscnedle is brought to a more central position with respect to the disk. The movement of the reproducer in turn moves the arm 21 and rotates the respective post 22 which in turn brings the contactarm 23 into circuit contact with the adjacent contact screw 39 which enables the current to flow along the blade 35 to 36 with which the latter is in contact,. which causes the motor 34 to operate. The operation of the motor causes the lever 24 which is pivoted at 26 to move in the arc of a circle. The upper-end of the bell-crank being pivot ed to the lever 24 the former is turned on its pivotal point 17 so as to reverse the position of the bell-crank 16 and to"cause it to lower one of the spindles, the one which has just been out ct contact with its revolving turntable, and to raise out of contact the false turn-table whichhas just been in operation. This shifting of the bell-crank and false turn-tablesis arranged to take place just at the time when the subject matter to be reproduced on the first disk has been finished by a suitable adjustment of the contact arm 23secured to the same post which carries the reproducer arm cooperating with said disk. is being reproduced the operator may remove the first disk which has just been rendered'and replace it with another and return the reproducer to the starting point.

-'The' phonographic records areprovided with indicatingpoints at which-the subject matter thereon begins and ends.

'While the second disk p In preparing the succeeding record while onels .beingv operatedthe contact screw for the first named means into circuit whereby the claim is:

1. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a phonographic mechanism having and operating a plurality of turn-tables, false disk plates for the turntables, means for making said false disk plates come consecutively into operative frictional contact with their respective turntables and be rotated by the latter, reproduc-- ing means, means carried by the last mentloned means for electrically connecting the latter will take up its cycle of operation.

" 2. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a phonographic mechanism having and operating a plurality of turn-tables, false disks plates for the turntables, means for making said false diskplates to come consecutively into operative contact with their respective turn-tables and be frictionally rotated by the same, reproducer supporting means, a circuit closer carried by the last mentioned means and operative with the phonographic mechanism for electrically connecting the first named means into circuit whereby the latter will take up its cycle of operation.

3. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a phonographic mechanism having and operating a plurality of turn-tables simultaneously, false disk plates for the turn-tables adapted to make complete surface contact and substantial frictional engagement therewith, means for making the said false disk plates to come consecutively into operative connection with their respec-. tive turn-tables, and a fastening member contacting withfalse disk-plates and engaging the openingin the phonographic disk whereby the latter is secured on the disk-plates in a definite central relation when making said contact.

. 4. A device of the class described compris ing in combination, a frame-work, a motor I on the frame-work, mechanism operated by the motor, a plurality of turn-tables operated by the mechanism, a plurality .of false disk plates reciprocatable from operative contact with the turn-tables, disk centering and fastening means on the false disk plates, reproducers arranged adjacent to the false disk plates and in contact with this means phonographic disks thereon, means for reciprocating the false disk plates alternately, motor means for the last mentioned means, and-means for connecting the reciprocating means consecutively to the motor means.

5. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a frame-work, mechanis m on the frame-work, a motor for op-- erating the mechanism, a plurality of turntables operated by the mechanism, a plurality of disklates disposed over the turn-- tables and a apted to be reciprocated in and from frictional contact with the latter reproducers arranged adjacent to the diskplates and in contact with phonographic disks thereon, means for reciprocating the disk-plates, motor means for the last named means, means for supporting the reproducers and circuit closers adjustably secured on the last mentioned means whereby the motor means for reciprocating the disk-plates are operable when the reproducers have reached a predetermined position on the disk records.

6. A device of the class described comprising in combination, a plurality of turntables, mechanism for rotating the turntables in unison, disk-plates for supporting phonographic records disposed over said turn-tables and reciprocatable fromo erative contact therewith, a bell-crank ever adapted to reciprocate said disk-plates, means for actuating the bell-crank, reproducer supporting means, and circuit closers adjustably secured on the last named means whereby the means for actuating the bellcrank lever is operable at predetermined intervals.

7. A device of the class-described comprising" in combination,,a plurality of turntables, mechanism for rotating the turntables in unison, disk-plates for supporting phonographic records disposed over said turn-tables and reciprocatable from operative contact therewith, a bell-crank lever adapted to place the disk-plates in and out of contact with the turn-tables, means for actuating the bell-crank lever, a circuit closer disposed onthe last named means, repro ,mined position with respect to the phonographic records. v

8. A device of the class described com-.

prising in combination, a plurality, of turntables, mechanism for rotating the turn tables in unison, disk-plates adapted for sup- :porting phonographic records disposed over the turn-tables an'dhaving spindles, reproducer supporting means, a-bell-crank lever adapted, to engage with the ends of the spindles, means for actuating the bell-crank in and out of engagement with their respeclever, consisting of an arm pivotally secured tive turn-tables. Y

to the bell-crank, a link, a crank, a shaft CHARLES S. ANDRES. and a motor, and circuit closers secured on W. T. JONES.

5 the reproducer supporting means whereby Witnesses:

the bell-crank motor is operated at intervals A. A. JONES,

and the disk-plates are alternately brought 0. Y. SESSON. 

